Flight

Flight is a capability many mechanoids and no few Transformers have, whether through rocket boosters, propellers, or even flapping wings. Humans do not generally have the ability to fly, but there are exceptions. It has proven quite useful strategically in many continuities.

Examples

Jet-powered flight

The most common means by which Transformers fly is some variation on jet-propulsion engines, rocket engines, or similar. Transformers such as the Seekers have such thrusters built into their legs, while other individuals such as Sideswipe and Sunstreaker possess removable jet-packs which strap to their backs.

Transformers with jet-powered flight

• Dinomode Grimlock<ref>Call of the Primitives</ref>
• Inferno (BW)
• Transmetal Megatron
• Optimus Primal
• Starscream (Movie)
• Autobot X
• Megatron (Animated)
• Topspin (G1)<ref>Animals</ref>
• Megatron (Movie)<ref>Transformers: The Last Knight</ref>
• Blitzwing (BB)

Propeller-powered flight

Sometimes, by virtue of a Transformer's alternate mode, they can fly by means more primitive than they might be accustomed to on Cybertron. Using airplane propellers, helicopter rotors, or other similar technologies they can fly at speeds comparable to native aircraft on the worlds they are residing upon.

Transformers with propeller-powered flight

• Classics Divebomb
• Obsidian (BM)
• Blackout (Movie)
• Cyclonus (Armada)
• Springer
• Sandstorm (G1)
• Powerdive
• Ransack (G2)
• Tankor (Universe Classic series)
• Megatron (Animated)
• Evac (Cybertron)
• Galvatron (SG)
• Dropkick (Movie)<ref>Bumblebee</ref>
• Windblade (G1)

Biological flight

Many transformers have a physical pair of beast mode wings, whether natural-looking or mechanical. In these cases, the transformer's flight derives from flapping these wings or gliding much like an animal would.

Transformers with biological flight

• Airazor (BW) / Airazor (Armada)
• Divebomb (G1)
• Transmetal 2 Megatron
• Nightscream (BM)
• Silverbolt (Fuzor)
• Swoop (G1)
• Terrormander
• Terrorsaur (BW)
• Waspinator (BW)
• Waspinator (Animated)
• Predaking (Prime)

Levitation

Some Transformers just float, often by no apparent means. It isn't always that well explained in the fiction, though certainly there exist Transformers with anti-gravity generators and other technologies which allow them to maneuver effortlessly even within a gravitational field.

Transformers with levitation

I'm flyin' without wings!

• Shockwave (G1)
• Sky-Byte (RID)
• Soundwave (G1)
• Soundwave (Animated)
• Strika (BM)
• Transmutate (BW)

Robot mode flight

A rare instance of flying.

Robot mode flight powers are an innovative power that allows Transformers without a flight-based alternate mode to fly while in robot mode. The Decepticons make good use of this power.

Sometimes the Autobots have them... sometimes they don't. Most often they display them early in Season 1 of the US cartoon, particularly the pilot. It is uncertain if they require external equipment to fly; several times the Autobots use strap-on jet packs or rocket packs, but sometimes they don't.

Robot mode flight was prevalent in the post-movie episodes, in which the focus was shifted to space. Although some characters could not fly under the influence of a planet's gravity, everyone seemed to possess the power of flight in deep space.

Human flight

• Circuit Breaker's electronic suit allows her to fly by manipulating electricity. Same goes for Sephie Beller.
• Dynamo has the innate ability to tap into the power of the Earth which gives him flight capability.
• Rapture uses a jet pack provided by G.B. Blackrock to allow her to fly.
• Falcon flies with the aid of high tech wings.
• Iron Man wore a special suit of armor that allowed him to fly, among other things.
• Ms. Marvel can fly, courtesy of her half-Kree genetics.
• Professor Princess flies around on her electro-mechanical unicorn, Powdered Sugar.

Fiction

Generation 1 continuity

Marvel Comics continuity

Marvel The Transformers comics

Transformers did not demonstrate a cartoon-style robot mode levitation-type flight ability. Any type of robot mode flight was rare. Shockwave could fly in either mode using jet thrusters in his "boots." The Transformers Universe The Battlechargers flight was explained by the use of short-range rocket jumpers attached to their legs. Decepticon Graffiti! Some or all of the Decepticon Pretenders could fly in their shells. Pretender to the Throne! King Con!

It may be that only the Decepticon Pretenders with wings on their Pretender shells could fly with their shells on. In "Pretender to the Throne" it appears they all are flying, but the art gives the impression Bomb-Burst and Bugly were supposed to be carrying the others. Later, in "King Con", Scorponok specifically ordered Bomb-Burst and Bugly to fly Iguanus around.

Marvel G.I. Joe comic

Megatron could fly in gun mode. Realignments

Marvel Generation 2 comic

Megatron flew using rockets in the bottom of his tank form's feet. Total War!

The Transformers cartoon

Robot mode flight powers were a technological innovation that allowed the Decepticons, who had just mastered the art of Transformation, to start a new war and battle the Autobots for supremacy of Cybertron. Their initial attacks were not a matter of public knowledge, and some Autobots, such as Orion Pax and Dion, admired them for their innovations. This admiration was ended when Megatron blasted Orion, Dion, and Ariel. It was to Megatron's detriment, however, for Alpha Trion rebuilt Orion and Ariel into Optimus Prime and Elita One. War Dawn

Eventually, the Autobots also mastered robot mode flight powers, and they used them to reach an oil rig which the Decepticons were plundering. More than Meets the Eye, Part 1 Ironhide and Bluestreak pursued the fleeing Decepticons into the air, though Skywarp had little difficulty shooting down Ironhide. Optimus required the use of Sideswipe's rocket pack to catch up to the space-bound Decepticon ship shortly afterwards, implying a limit on the speed or range of his flight capabilities. More than Meets the Eye, Part 3 Sideswipe and Sunstreaker also used robot mode flight powers in their use of jet judo against Seekers attacking the Autobot base. More than Meets the Eye, Part 2

The Decepticons' own flight capabilities have known to fail them at times too. In one instance, under a barrage of firepower, Optimus and the Autobots drove the Decepticons back until they fell down a canyon into lava, instead of simply flying out. Heavy Metal War

The Autobots' ability to fly in robot mode effectively vanished after that. To reach Dinobot Island, Optimus Prime and a crew of Autobots used strap-on jetpacks. Dinobot Island, Part 1 Even Autobots with flying alternate modes did not seem able to fly in robot mode, though Cosmos seemed able to maneuver in space while in robot mode.

The newly created Dinobots could fly in robot mode, an ability they consistently demonstrated throughout their history. Their creator, Wheeljack, was also shown flying in robot mode apparently unassisted, an ability his on-package bio claims for him. S.O.S. Dinobots

In the years following the defeat of Unicron, a number of Autobots were seen to fly through space without any visible aid or means of propulsion. Notable among them was Perceptor, who had never before demonstrated such an ability. Before one such instance, Sky Lynx advised the Autobots in question to "don your rocket packs, gentlemen!" The Technobots all flew in robot mode from Earth to Saturn's moon Titan.

Despite the Autobots' rare display of this ability, some claim they do not have it at all. Galvatron once said outright that "Autobots cannot fly," himself flying easily over a booby trap, while his apparently earthbound Autobot companions remained helpless. Then again, Galvatron is beyond psychotic. The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2

It also seemed as though Prima, one of the earliest Transformers, was capable of flight in the era even before transformation. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4

Transformers Legends anthology

The Dinobots possessed jets on their backs in robot mode, allowing them to fly. Paddles

2005 IDW continuity

Back before the war, information on scientific breakthroughs in levitation/"repulsors" that could lead to robot mode flight abilities caught the greedy optics of Senator Ratbat, who manipulated the stock to take control. Megatron Origin #2 This technology would finds its way to the Seekers who used it freely in the early stages of the Great War, The Hunt for Soundwave before it was spread to the Decepticon elite, allowing for robot mode flight. Perihelion No Fair Fights

This technology was evidently known and available to the Autobots but Optimus Prime expressed a distaste for it, preferring to keep his feet close to the ground. By contrast, Starscream adored the ability, keeping it constant across his many bodies. Fight or Flee Perihelion Windblade could also fly in her robot mode. The Last Autobot

When bonded to living beings, Ore-12 formed a powerful suit of armor that allowed for many abilities, flight among them. The Space Knights, as this group came to be known, could even traverse interstellar distances unaided. Shining Armor #1 First Strike #2 Our Darkest Road's End

Functionist Universe

The Functionist Council possessed levitation abilities, seemingly provided by their snazzy capes. Anomie Modes of Production

Transformers vs. G.I. Joe

All Decepticons possessed the ability to fly in their robot modes, while most of the Autobots lacked this power. Targetmasters Optimus Prime was able to achieve flight via a jet pack. Everybody Hates Metroplex When the Prime healed Bumblebee, he granted the scout flight capabilities, something that disgusted Cyclonus. Pax Megatronus

War for Cybertron Trilogy marketing material

Subsonic flight was one of Tracks' powers and weapons. In general, flight was counted as a power and weapon for other Transformers, such as Waspinator. Kingdom webpage<ref>Kingdom webpage</ref>

Energon Universe

When reactivated on Earth, the Seekers Transformers #1 and Soundwave displayed the ability to fly in robot mode. Transformers #6 Megatron was likewise capable of robot mode flight. Transformers Energon Universe 2024 Special story

By contrast, the Autobots were incapable of flight in their robot modes, being forced to rely on Jetfire's alternate mode for transit. Transformers #8

Beast Era

Beast Wars cartoon

Early in the Beast Wars, the Predacons had a tactical advantage due to the presence of fliers Terrorsaur and Waspinator, contrasting only Optimus Primal being able to air support for the Maximals, and then only in robot mode, which was risky in the energon-rich environment. Beast Wars (Part 2) The introduction of Airazor later granted the Maximals another flyer. The Spark

Sufficient volumes of energon itself, of a certain level of instability, are said to have the ability to cause large objects to float. Power Surge

Following the quantum surge, both Megatron and Cheetor gained the ability to fly via jets in their beast modes. Coming of the Fuzors (Part 1) The Fuzor Silverbolt quickly defected to the Maximals, granting them another aerial warrior. Upon being resurrected, Optimus Primal gained the ability to fly in his beast mode via a jet-powered hover board, addition to his original robot mode flight. Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)

Transmutate had an apparently unique flight mechanism: it extended a crystalline object from within its body, and when the crystal was exposed to air, it gave off an intense energy field and then caused its user to levitate. Since Transmutate was a malformed, incomplete design, this might have been a display of widespread Transformer flight technology that otherwise would always be internal and unseen. Transmutate

After upgrading to his "Optimal Optimus" form, Optimus Primal acquired a true jet mode that only enhanced his flight capabilities. Optimal Situation The arrivals of Depth Charge Deep Metal and Tigerhawk, who were likewise equipped with flight-based altmodes, further added to the ranks of airborne Maximals. Other Victories

Beast Wars II

With the exception of Lio Convoy, who has build-in thrusters, Showdown in the Sea everyone who could fly could only do so because of their alternate mode, be that because it was a plane, a winged insect, or a bird. Surprisingly, this also went for Terrormander, whose alternate mode was a mecharay. Apparently, a ray's pectoral fins are as good as wings. The Tentacular Scuba

Beast Machines cartoon

After being reformatted into a technorganic, Optimus Primal retained his ability to fly in robot mode. Master of the House

Obsidian only ever hovered by means of his rotors, whether he was in robot mode or helicopter mode. Strika touched the ground in vehicle mode, but in robot mode, she hovered, seemingly having some sort of anti-gravity mechanism in her feet. The Strike

Needing a new body for himself than the Diagnostic Drone he found himself trapped in, The Downward Spiral Megatron chose to rebuild Optimus' "Optimal" body When Legends Fall minus its beast mode, granting him the form's jet mode and robot mode flight. Seeds of the Future

Beast Wars: Uprising

During the Great War, the Decepticons displayed the ability to fly in their robot modes. By the time of the Grand Uprising, however, energon had attained such a high premium that this ability was lost to the Maximals and Predacons. By contrast, the Monster GoBots, invaders from another reality possessed the ability to fly in their robot modes, allowing them a temporary edge over the Ex-Bots. Cultural Appropriation

Cybertron cartoon

Robot mode flight powers were tied to the ability to fly in vehicle mode, indicating that all Transformers with flight-capable alternate modes possessed internal repulsors or vertical thrusters. Faction did not come into it. A Transformer who went from vehicle mode to robot mode while in flight would lose considerable momentum doing so, a factor often used to land in confined areas. Most flight was typically carried out in vehicle mode, as it was faster and typically more agile. Interestingly, all Transformers were capable of robot mode flight in zero gravity (and some were capable of it in car modes). Given the way things work in zero gravity, the robot mode flight in such conditions is actually quite natural, albeit slow.

Animated cartoon

Autobots did not possess flight, save for limited jumps using booster jets. However, the capture of the Decepticon Starscream allowed the Autobot Ministry of Science to reverse-engineer flight protocols and implant them in a pair of energon refinery maintenance bots. The result was Jetfire and Jetstorm, whose origins as a split protoform granted them other new abilities as a result of the process, including becoming a combiner named Safeguard. First (and Second) in Flight

TransTech

GoBots all have robot mode flight systems. Withered Hope

Live-action film series

Some Transformers have robot mode flight with the aid of "jetpacks" and other flight systems.

Bumblebee film

When B-127 landed on Earth, he was attacked by Blitzwing who slammed the scout against the rocks using his flight capabilities. B-127 managed to use his more nimble frame to climb onto Blitzwing's back and his blade to disable the Seeker's engines, grounding him. Bumblebee

Ghosts of Yesterday

Autobots and Decepticons alike can fly under gravity in robot mode by using "propulsion." Ghosts of Yesterday

Age of Extinction film

After vowing to leave Earth and confront the "Creators", Optimus Prime deployed a set of built-in rockets which he used to break free of Earth's atmosphere. Age of Extinction

The Last Knight film

Optimus's energon supply ran out near Jupiter and he entered stasis lock, being revived when he was pulled into the gravity well of the approaching Cybertron. After he'd been brainwashed by Quintessa into "Nemesis Prime", he flew back to Earth so he could retrieve the Staff of Merlin where Bumblebee coaxed him free of the mind control. After rallying the troops, Optimus flew ahead of them all and to Cybertron on his own power, using his flight capabilities to gain the height advantage on Infernocus. The Last Knight

Aligned continuity family

War For Cybertron video game

All Transformers are equipped with thrusters in their feet, allowing them to boost themselves while jumping (a double-jump, if you will). Jet mode Transformers, such as Starscream and Air Raid, are flight capable in jet mode but are ground-bound in robot mode. However, several Transformers have the ability to hover in the air in robot mode (including Megatron).

Prime cartoon

Most Decepticons that had an aerial vehicle form could fly, but only in vehicle mode. When MECH stole Starscream's T-cog, he was unable to transform into his jet mode and thus was incapable of flight. Operation Bumblebee, Part 2 Several Predacons, such as Predaking, were flight capable thanks to their wings. Prey Following his resurrection with the Forge of Solus Prime, Optimus Prime got a new body with a jet-pack, allowing him to fly in robot mode. Rebellion

2015 Robots in Disguise cartoon

Several Decepticons, such as Filch, Nightstrike and Zizza, were capable of biological flight due to the wings they possessed in their beast/beast-like modes. A confused Grimlock once thought he could fly and was surprised to find out that he couldn't. As the Kospego Commands! Windblade was a female Autobot who could turn into jet and thus provided air-support for the other grounded Autobots. Other Autobots like Sideswipe and Drift would hitch a ride on her if the mission ever required it. The Buzz on Windblade Battlegrounds, Part 2 After returning from the dead again, Optimus Prime used his built-in jet pack to reach the battle site that Megatronus was at. Battlegrounds, Part 1 After absorbing all seven Weaponizer Mini-Cons, Starscream gained both fancy armor and the ability to fly in robot mode. That got taken away once the Mini-Cons were extracted from him. Worthy

EarthSpark cartoon

The Seekers were capable of flight in their robot modes. What Dwells Within

One movie

Several Cybertronians with aerial alt-modes are capable of flight. Some like the Trackers and the High Guard are capable of robot mode flight due to thrusters in their legs. Sentinel Prime is unique in that he exclusively flies in his robot mode and never transforms. His ability to fly was disabled when D-16 pummeled him to the point of partial paralysis. One

Notes

• Despite all these advanced flight abilities, Cybertronians seem incapable of actually landing successfully after achieving flight. There are many, many instances of infamous crashes within the fictions. In fact, Jetfire makes somewhat of a reference to this in Revenge of the Fallen, when he botches his own landing, commenting on it sarcastically as he does.

References

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